


Family Values

by truelyesoteric



Series: America's Son [5]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: American Politics, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-27
Updated: 2012-12-27
Packaged: 2017-11-22 15:49:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/611518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truelyesoteric/pseuds/truelyesoteric
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their family values.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family Values

"We're going to get killed on family values," Jeff said, looking at the screen, where Jensen had just gone pale under his freckles trying not to react when his debate opponent alluded to the fact that Jensen didn't biologically have children so he couldn't understand the plight of parents, then went on to blatantly say that as a gay man he would have to speak for people who lived very different lifestyles.

Jeff watched with his arms crossed, jaw crushing his molars.

Jared looked worried. "Ignore the first part, you can do it, you know the second part. You know the answer to this one."

The words were spoken to a TV, to Jensen was in another room, but some how they seemed to have effect on him.

He was calm cool and composed, again.

"I'm not a woman," Jensen said clearly. "And I am going to assume you aren't either, but for years the person in this office has had to weigh in on issues related to women. I'm also not African American, Hispanic, or Asian, but the person in this office has made decisions that effect them too. The fact of the matter is that the person in this office is never going to encompass all groups, but what a wise person can do is to surround themselves with people who can offer insight, to find the best and the brightest and listen, to learn about the sides and make insightful decisions. That is what I plan on doing, because I have a great many skills, but I cannot be everything, and I'm not going to try to be what I'm not. That would be a disservice to the people of this great country. I'm going to try to be the best I can be in service to the people."

Jared had a small knowing smile on his lips. "God baby, you rock the world."

"So glad you two found each other," Jeff barked out. "The things that turn the two of you on in each other is thankfully rare in this world."

Jared grinned. "Don't pretend like you don't want to make out with him a little right now." 

Jeff let out a raspy guffaw. "What I like about you two is that I don't have to worry about any kind of funny business in your relationship. Thirty years of monogamy is a relief after the last guy I got elected to Congress."

"Except the girl during the primaries who claimed that I fathered her child," Jared pointed out. "There was a lurid tale of me playing Jensen with gay sex and gay marriage, while I went made sweet sweet love to her."

Jared made a face.

"Good times," Jeff said. "You know what I liked most was Jensen's response."

Jared grinned, because that was his favorite too, a reporter had blind-sided Jensen with the question. Jensen hadn't even blanched. He just started laughing and turned to tell Jared. 

It had been a non-issue after that. It had also made the world fall in love with them as a couple, something they thought they had put away twenty-five years ago when they had gotten married with a fanfare that had defined marriage between men forever, much like Queen Victoria had redefined little girl’s dreams.

Jeff nodded to the screens. "He's doing closing remarks, get out there and look supportive of your hubby, I know it is a stretch. Pretend for me."

Jared winked at him and sauntered out, knowing that they would be all smiles until they got into this room and then Jensen would let holy hell fly.

Jeff watched as they stood on stage, Jared whispered in his ear and Jensen's eyes crinkled. Jeff knew it pissed them off that they couldn't kiss on the cheek or touch too much on stage, not that they particularly heeded that advice, they were always touching, middle America was tolerant enough of Jensen and Jared, just as long as they didn't have to see too much of it.

"Fucking hypocrites," Jeff muttered.

The candidates walked off the stage and Jeff made sure all heavy potential projectiles were out of eyesight.

Jensen came in followed by Jared.

"I'm fucking going to rip his arms off," Jensen spat. "He had the fucking nerve to tell me that I don't understand family values because my children are adopted, fuck him. I'm sure that the millions of children who were adopted or fostered or who were raised by family members are so grateful for being fucking invalidated. I raised two boys, who have never been arrested, who know how to manage money, who have never had a regular nanny, who were raised by two parents who love and adored them. One son is a doctor who spent three years in Africa with doctors without boarders before taking a position at Johns Hopkins. My other son, is a reporter for CNN who has been on site of many an international incident. Yet I don't understand family. Jeff you have to let me take the gloves off, I cannot stand this anymore, I have to protect my family."

"No you can't, your job is to speak of public policy not your personal life, we can't change that now," Jeff said calmly. Then he turned to Jared, who looked just as stormy. "But Jared can."

Jensen looked at Jared and they held the glance, the simple look exchanging quite a bit in seconds.

Jared looked absolutely terrified. He had been by Jensen's side for all of it, for the state senate, for the US Senate run, but this was different, they wanted to put him in front of everyone by himself.

It had happened once during the primaries. Somebody had asked who received, in a sexual way. Jared had turned a shade of red and the press conference had been shut down.

"Jensen needs to stay on message," Jeff said, arms crossed once again. "He needs to talk about policy and what he will do for the country. You are the spouse of the candidate, we need you to be the personal side of the candidate, I know you aren't, but for the next, god willing, eight years, we need you to be the domestic face of your marriage."

Jared looked over at Jensen again, they spoke without words. Finally a resolution seemed to be made.

"He's not decorating the white house," Jensen said firmly.

"But I'll do the 'candid' interview," Jared said resigned.

"I could just kill the bastard," Jensen grumbled.

Jared inhaled and then gave him a soft smile. "You must be tired we’ve got to get you more than four hours of sleep again, also remember we still have those kids that apparently don't really matter, but they'd be so embarrassed if their dad ends up in jail."

"They're adults," Jensen grumbled. "They'd get over it."

"Okay," Jeff said. "I'm going to go make plans before you change your minds, you can have ten minutes for your private pow wow before I'm going to send in Danneel and Genevieve."

Jeff left.

"Are you okay?" Jensen said quietly. "You know Jeff has been wanting you to take on the role of the great homemaker, we've fought him up to this point, we can keep doing it."

Jared shook his head. "I knew what I was signing up for when we moved back here from England. I told you I did. I haven't changed my mind."

"I just want to be clear if you take the domestic role, they're going to consider you the more feminine," Jensen said softly.

Jared nodded. "I know, they're going to say I'm your bitch, that I'm the girl in the relationship. To that I say, how can you not and for the next eight years you will let me prove my manliness in the bed room."

Jensen far away look in his eye. "So very much a deal."

There was a knock at the door.

"We have seven more minutes," Jared yelled.

"Jared," Genevieve's voice came. "We have to start picking you out some pink and pearls."

"No pink," Jensen yelled through the door.

"Hey, I'm the little woman," Jared said with a pout. "I want to wear pink."

Jensen laughed tiredly and leaned in for a kiss.

Finally the girls came bounding in.

"Lincoln is on the phone," Danneel said, handing Jensen his cell phone.

Jensen grabbed for it and turned it on speakerphone. "Linc, is everything okay?"

"Yeah dad, Logan and I were on the phone together watching your debate, we are sorry we couldn't be there, we are gong to be there for the next one for sure," Lincoln's tinny voice came through. "That guy is a douche."

The girls made their little 'aww' faces, Jensen shot them a look of death.

"So you're okay?" Jensen asked again.

"Stop worrying pops," Logan said again. "We're fine, we've always been fine, you're usually the one freaking out. You can talk about us, Logan and I talked about it, you can talk about us as much as you want."

"Oh boys," Jensen said tiredly. "You know I love you guys, I'm not talking about you because I'm ashamed."

"Figured that dad," Lincoln said. "But you know that I save children and Logan is a reporter who tells of the downtrodden of the world. Really we know we’re nothing to be ashamed of. Don't worry about us, break into the family values issue and kick their asses."

"I'm not going to do it," Jensen began.

"Dad," Logan whined, cutting in.

"Jared is," Jensen told him and Jared smiled from ear to ear.

"Don't you dare!" Lincoln squeaked. "Da will embarrass the hell out of us and tell naked stories."

"Hey," Jared defended. "I'm the paradigm of family values, the little woman who sat at home while her man legislated. I raised the kids and cleaned the house, and cooked..."

"Okay, one out of three," Lincoln said. "Unless you liked to dress as a five foot Asian woman to do the cooking and cleaning.

“I’m very talented,” Jared assured him.

Lincoln paused. ”You're really going to do this."

Jared looked at Jensen, dressed in his suit, ready to challenge for the seat of president.

The answer was there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for Jensen.

“Yeah kiddo,” Jared said. “I’m going to embarrass you on national television and in every press outlet.”

Lincoln laughed. “I am behind you and I’m pretty sure that Logan is going to be too. I’m going to pack up Jenna and the kid and we’re going to parade out on stage at your next debate and show the values in our family. Logan might try to kill him first, but hey solidarity.”

“Jesus,” Jared swore. “Like father like son. Seriously we’re either going to the White House or the Big House.”

“I know seriously,” Lincoln laughed. “I’m gonna go Dads. I’m going to call Logan, he needs a heads up, I know that you guys have things to do so go do things.”

The line went dead.

Jared sighed. “Not a very articulate child we raised.”

“He’s the brain. Logan speaks clearly enough for the both of them,” Jensen sighed. “I love those boys. We did something really right.”

Jared made a face. “We are the fucking kings of family values. I cannot even believe that there is any doubt.”

Jensen looked down at Jared’s hands, large, capable, hands that had intertwined with his when they were married, soothed their children when they were sick, and comforted him when nothing was going right.

Jensen had put himself in those hands a long time ago and there was nothing but implicit trust.

“I’m going to do it right,” Jared promised, as if he needed to still swear loyalty to Jensen, as if Jensen didn’t know that Jared would take care of what he couldn’t.

Jared’s eyes crinkled. “You have, you always have.”

**

Jeff made sure that Jared was put into a casual setting, because as much as everyone had tried to help Jared, he just couldn’t do a podium. So Jeff put him at a table with ten reporters and included food.

Genevieve stood on a chair and fixed his tie.

“Chew with your mouth closed please, if you remember nothing else chew with your mouth closed,” Genevieve begged.

Jared pretended to sulk. “Can I say y’all? Do I have to forget everything that makes me, me?”

Genevieve gave him a stern look. “Anything that your momma would be embarrassed about you do not do, you be polite, chew with your mouth closed, and say ma’am and sir. You can say y’all though, that makes people faint of heart.”

Jared dimpled and his voice came out a sweet little drawl. “Yes ma’am.”

She looked at him. “Yeah, you are rubies on legs.”

**

“Call Genevieve,” Jensen said, getting into the back of the car.

“Hello Senator,” Danneel said cheerfully, not moving to her phone. “how was the conference.”

Jensen poked her. “Call Genevieve.”

“Real mature Senator,” Danneel laughed.

“I remember when you called me Jensen,” Jensen said bouncing in his seat.

“Yeah I didn’t listen to you then either,” Danneel said, taking pity on him and picking up his phone.

She put it to her ear. “Hi Genevieve. How goes it?”

Danneel looked over at Jensen and rolled her eyes. “Jared is still talking.”

Jensen started to look worried.

Danneel listened, she didn’t smile as she turned towards him.

“I think Jared lost us any chance of getting the hockey vote,” she said gravely. “I think he insulted the entire genera.”

Jensen looked at her incredulously and spoke blandly. “Well that is a worry. Hockey is going Republican, spin it that we’re dumb Texans.”

She grinned at him. “Who lived in Boston for years. That’ll be a sell.”

“Besides the loss of a demographic?” Jensen pushed.

Danneel gave him the small private smile. “He’s charming them all, telling them about the grandkid and the vacation you guys spent in Portland fishing.”

Jensen groaned and this time it was for a very different reason.

“He told the worm story?” Jensen groaned. “I’m never going to be taken seriously.”

Danneel grinned and listened. “They absolutely adore you, it makes you human. Which I would like to point out was Jeff’s mission, he wants Jared to make you human.”

Then her face took on something a little confused.

“What is happening,” Jensen asked.

She shooed him away.

“What the fuck is happening,” Jensen growled.

**

“So here is the real thing,” Jared said, pushing back his crème Brule. “I mean all of this talk with you guys, the story telling has been awesome, but the reason I wanted to talk to you was about my kids. We made sure that we had a wide variety of people here today and we just wanted to be clear that those boys are our boys and I personally want to take on anyone who says anything different. They chose us and we were so young, but we picked them up and couldn’t put them down. It wasn’t about being gay, it wasn’t about anything except they chose us and we became a family. I hear that is sometimes how it works, family can come planned or by surprise”

It was only a woman from a conservative network that spoke up. “We all respect you stepping up to raise your husband’s nephews, but perhaps the family money made it easier, I hope I’m not speaking out of turn, but you’ve had all the luxury in the world with children that were just on loan. You two were so young, it must have been like playing house.”

Jared sat back in his chair, the look on his face was no longer fun and joking, he was no longer light and willing to share. He sat back and studied the woman in silence for a minute.

Suddenly the room was aware of who they were sitting in front of. They had been lulled into a sense of security with the goofy guy, he was one of the greatest minds of his generation, this guy they suddenly remembered had been part of the Ackles clan for quarter of a century, and he sat there quiet for a minute in a way that only the truly confident can be.

“What do you call your father’s siblings spouses,” Jared asked her.

She blinded at him.

Jared smiled at her. “I believe you call them your aunt or uncle, so at least those boys are my nephews. However the State of Massachusetts declared us their guardians, so legally we are at least their guardians. All that is kind of bullshit, because the boys call us both dad and that is what we are, that is what we will always be.”

Her mouth was set in a firm line. Jared leaned forward and kept talking.

“They didn’t sleep for weeks after their parents died,” Jared said very softly, almost deadly. “We were the ones who held them, made them feel safe in a world that didn’t make sense to them any more. When Lincoln started talking he called us Dad. We weren’t playing house, it wasn’t pretend. We made the hard decisions. We weren’t loaned out children, we raised our children. We were young, but we wanted them and we made a family and I challenge you to tell me what could possibly be more family values than that. The thing you are questioning is what both Jensen and I hold most sacred, and it is rude and condescending and downright ignorant.”

Jared stormed off.

**

Genevieve came up quietly.

“Don’t,” Jared growled. “Just don’t. I did it again.”

“Jensen is on the phone,” she said softly.

“Tell him I’ll talk to him at the hotel,” Jared said through clenched teeth.

Genevieve looked at him, he looked like he was ready to cry.

“Okay,” she said softly. “Let’s go, let’s just go.”

The car ride was silent, when they were almost there she spoke up.

“I miss when I could just give you a hug,” she said softly.

Jared looked over at her and lifted an arm, she came and snuggled under it.

**

She followed Jared up the stairs. He paused at his door and looked back at her, his face full of so much angst and despair.

Genevieve gave him a smile and walked away.

With a heavy heart Jared opened the door. In the sitting room was not just Jensen, there was Lincoln and Logan, nobody would make eye contact with Jared.

Finally Jensen looked up.

“God Jared,” Jensen said, emotion in his voice.

The boys looked up. 

“What he said,” Lincoln agreed.

Jensen walked up and threw his arms around Jared.

“I love you so much,” Jensen said, his voice muffled in Jared’s shoulder.

Jared’s hands went around him. The boys came up and joined in the hug.

“I’m confused,” Jared said, starting to feel awkward.

“You just killed every president ever on family values,” Logan said.

“And I think that we’re electing you favorite father,” Lincoln added.

Jared pulled away and looked at Jensen for answers.

“That was awesome,” Jensen said shaking his head. “You, I mean that you have gotten good at that whole speech making thing.”

“I just yelled at America,” Jared said, tears threatening to fall. “I might have just ruined your presidency.”

Jensen shook his head. “Not even close. Your rough edges are still there, but they are so perfect and so good. Don’t you see baby, the most important thing is that my family is intact and you just put us out there and made it so pretty. I nearly lost it when you brought up the days after Josh’s death, when the boys would sleep with us. Remember the first time Logan called us dad and Linc ran around the house yelling dad, dad, dad.”

“Buck naked,” Logan added.

Lincoln blushed. “I was three.”

“This is why I waited on running until after the boys were grown up,” Jensen said. “Didn’t I tell you? I wanted to make sure that we were able to be dads before going on with our careers, you made me so proud, I mean I would have been more proud if you had socked that woman, but what can you do?”

“Dad,” Lincoln whined. “We don’t hit girls.”

“We don’t condone violence,” Logan added. 

“He’s joking,” Jared said sternly.

And they all started cracking up.

Jared looked at his husband and his sons.

“What are you guys doing here?” Jared asked. “Don’t you have jobs and families?”

Logan and Lincoln shrugged.

“They came for you,” Jensen finally said. 

Jared just looked at his smiling face.

“Wait, Jen are you saying that I did the right thing?” Jared said puzzled.

Jensen laughed. “You were perfect. You were Jared and you were honorable, before that you were funny and sweet. You are quite possibly the most perfect person to you on this adventure that is life with.”

Jared blinked rapidly. “Oh.”

Lincoln was gagging. 

Jensen shot him a withering look. “Seriously, you are older than four.”

“Seriously the honeymoon should be over, Mr. Senator,” Logan pointed out dryly.

Jared messed up his hair. “You’re a cute little one aren’t you. Haven’t you heard you’re not really mine, I just you know fed you, watered you, turned you to sunlight and you aren’t really that embarrassing, so scoot along so I can make sweet sweet love to my boo.”

Lincoln and Logan blinked repeatedly at him. Jensen just looked at him wide eyed.

“Never say that again,” Jensen said firmly, in his president voice.

Jared smiled innocently. “So no sex.”

“Seriously,” Logan muttered.

Jensen sighed. “The boys are here and the girls gave us like half an hour so the right thing to do in the name of family values seems to be spend time with our wandering children.”

Jared whined. “But the mean woman at the table said they weren’t ours.”

Logan looked at Lincoln and they exchanged ideas without talking, then they lunged at Jared. Jared couldn’t stop laughing as his sons wrestled him to the ground.

Jensen just sighed. “I’m ordering lunch, anyone want anything?”

“Club sandwich,” Logan called, not breaking his stride to twist the still taut skin on Jared’ stomach.”

“Roast beef,” Lincoln said as he tickled Jared who was very ticklish.

“Jensen make them stop,” Jared squealed.

“Say we’re your sons,” Lincoln demanded.

“You two are thirty, behave,” Jared said trying to slap their hands away.

“Say it dad,” Logan pushed.

“You’re my kids,” Jared managed to gasp. “Always.”

They stopped and huffed down next to him.

Jensen hung up the phone.

Jared put his arms around the boys. “They’re my kids, but you on the other hand with your indifference to my agonizing plight makes me think not only will you be a terrible president, you are so much worse a husband.”

Jensen came over to him and kissed him on the head. “I love you.”

Jared pouted for a second, but he couldn’t hold it. “Okay that works. I love you too.”


End file.
